The Birth of Nate’s Nation!

Nate Parker

The “The Birth of a Nation” Interview

with Kam Williams

The Birth of Nate’s Nation!

Actor/humanitarian-turned-writer/director Nate Parker first received critical attention for his starring role in The Great Debaters opposite Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker. Nate received an honorary Doctorate from Wiley College, the school featured in the fact-based story.

More recently, Nate starred in Beyond The Lights opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Minnie Driver, and Danny Glover. He also appeared in the action thriller Non-Stop opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.

In 2012, he was a member of the ensemble cast of Red Tails which included Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr. The film chronicled the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps who went on to become some of the finest pilots in World War II.

Nate also starred opposite Alicia Keys in The Secret Life Of Bees, which featured an all-star cast of Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning and Paul Bettany. Additionally, he has been seen in Pride alongside Terrence Howard and in Dirty opposite Cuba Gooding Jr.,

On the stage, Nate appeared opposite Dustin Hoffman, Annette Bening, Rosario Dawson and James Cromwell in American Voices at the Broad Street Theater. Here, he talks about making his writing and directorial debut with The Birth of a Nation, a reverential biopic in which he stars, too, as slave revolt leader Nat Turner (1800-1831).

Kam Williams: Hey, Nate, how you been? .

Nate Parker: Kam! Great to speak to you again, friend!

KW: Congratulations on The Birth of a Nation’s winning both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

NP: Thank you, brother. What a blessing! Right? Never in a million years would I even have dreamt of that. I just made a movie I hoped would touch people, but I can’t even describe what it felt like to receive those accolades.

KW: How long had this project been percolating before you went into production?

NP: Ooh, years. I’m in my 8th year of the project now. At the starting point, I’d done a couple of films, and I thought to myself it isn’t often, as black men, that we get an opportunity in Hollywood to play a leading role with a strong character. And when one does come up, there are so many people competing for it, plus the narrative isn’t usually controlled by us. So, I asked myself, if I could tell any story, which would it be? And Nat Turner being my hero from a social justice standpoint, he became the focus of my desires when it came to making a film. I just wanted to create a hero that added to the narrative of America who didn’t look like the usual patriots.

KW: William Styron won a Pulitzer Prize in 1967 for “The Confession of Nat Turner” Did you rely on that best-selling novel while writing your script?

NP: I never looked at it once. I had read enough of it when I was younger to have my stomach turn by an author who completely denigrated the life and motivations of one of our greatest heroes. But I don’t blame him, because it’s a work of fiction.

KW: Have you met Anikah McLaren, one of the executives at Fox Searchlight working on The Birth of a Nation?

NP: I know her very well. I love her! She’s a wonderful human being.

KW: I’ve known her family for years. Her younger brother and my son were good friends growing up and I’ve also been long-time friends with her mother and stepfather, Arnold Rampersad, who used to teach here at Princeton.

NP: You know some good people, man. That’s a good circle of friends. That says a lot about you.

KW: Thanks. In an earlier interview, you told me that you felt that you were blessed by God at the beginning of your career. Given how spiritual Nat Turner was and how he had a vision from God which inspired him, I wonder whether you see any similarities between him and yourself?

NP: I believe that Nat Turner, at his core, was striving to be more Christlike which dictated his thoughts and actions. I wouldn’t say I’m trying to be like Nat, but I’m definitely striving, as he was, to get closer to my faith and to be more Christlike in the context of my own imperfections as a human being. I believe that Nat Turner is a role model that all of us could identify with and aspire to emulate in a positive way, because he used all of his influence to address a systemic crisis. And he did so with his faith and he did so sacrificing on behalf of people he’d never meet, like you and me.

KW: Even though I asked you in our first interview many years ago about the 1999 rape accusation when you were a college student, I would be remiss in not raising it again, since it has resurfaced and ignited a firestorm of controversy recently. What do you have to say about the incident?

NP: I’ll say this. I’m 36 years-old, and my life has been a series of obstacles, a series of educating moments. As I said before, I’m trying to come as close to my faith as possible, and I see this journey as just that, a journey. I set out to make this film because I felt like it was written in my heart. And any obstacle that has come before or will come after I will have to deal with accordingly, with my faith. My hope is that people will see this film for what it is, and I also hope they will be able to see a bit of my heart and of what I’m striving to do with this film

KW: The last time we spoke was a couple of years ago when you were in Ferguson, Missouri in connection with the Mike Brown case. At that time, you spoke of “revolution” and described yourself as an “actor-vist” dedicated to eradicating the dehumanization and criminalization of black youth. I was concerned that, as an emerging star I had described as possibly the next Denzel, you might be tarnishing your image by being so visibly political.

NP: I originally sought to make this film really to create solutions to the systemic crisis we were dealing with then. But here we are, 8 years later, dealing with the same crisis. I heard someone say, if the next 50 years are like the last 50 years, then people of color might not exist except as assimilatedpeople and as inmates in the prison-industrial complex. I believe that the more we recognize that we’re in crisis, the more we will realize that there is a need for revolution. Because of our historical baggage, most people automatically assume that revolution means black people rising up against whites. But that’s not what I’m saying. If Dr. Martin Luther King was right in saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” then anyone who is on the side of the oppressed needs to stand up, regardless of what they look like or where they come from. And they should do so employing their skills and their strengths, taking advantage of their occupations. Nat Turner only had broom handles and axes, and didn’t even have the right to assemble. Today, we have journalism, technology and social media, yet we fall silent when it comes to dealing with injustice. When I speak of “revolution,” I talk about it within the context of humanity. Our country started with a rebellion. What would our identity be without that rebellion? Who would we be as Americans, if we didn’t even know that we fought against British rule? If history is an indicator, we know that subjugation will lead to revolution anyway. We just don’t know what that revolution will look like. Am I an advocate of violence? No. I’m an advocate of freedom and liberation and, whatever that means, I’m willing to stand for it.

KW: Why did you call your film The Birth of a Nation, the same title as the D.W. Griffith classic released almost exactly a century ago?

NP: That was very intentional. I had my title before I had my script. I deliberately want to tether the present to 1915 in order to create context as to why we are where we are. Griffith, in my opinion, may have been one of the most powerful people around in the sense that he inspired all of America to embrace white supremacy as a form of self-preservation. As a son of the Confederacy, he askedAmerica to turn its back on any thought of solidarity with people of color with the hope that whites would be able to maintain their privilege forever. And that idea of white supremacy wasn’t limited to the Ku Klux Klan and toothless hillbillies, but it made its way all the way to the White House, where President Woodrow Wilson had connections to the Klan through D.W. Griffith. So, I use that film designed to disenfranchise and terrorize us as a starting point with the hope that, by reclaiming and re-purposing it, we could right a massive wrong, since we’re still dealing with the fallout of the terror that it inspired.

KW: I really liked this film better than 12 Years a Slave. Can you put a finger on why that’s the case?

NP: I think it was a desperate love for one’s brothers and sisters. In this film, they’re not trying to escape to the North for a better life that they once enjoyed. Instead, they’re trying to reconcile the life they’re stuck in with what they see as God’s purpose for their lives as reflected in the scriptures. And Nat interpreted the Bible as saying that God was on the side of the oppressed, as He was with Israel..

KW: How hard was it directing for the first time?

NP: It was very difficult. It wasn’t my original intention to direct and produce the film. But no producers raised their hand saying “Here’s the money!” and no director stepped forward saying, “I want to tell this story.” People saw this movie as a threat. And I was even warned by many people in Hollywood that there would be grave consequences for making it. But you can’t let fear control your actions, when you feel the Lord calling you to do something. So, I decided to just go for it. And despite raising only a third of the money needed, we were somehow able to achieve the impossible.

KW: It’s interesting that the film is now being released at the height of the Black Lives Matter Movement.

NP: I think it’s a testament to God’s plan that it’s coming out now. Imagine, if it had been released 8 years ago, 5 years ago, or even 3 years ago, I doubt that it would have had the same impact that it’s having now in terms of creating an enlightened moment at a time of a desperate need for change.

KW: One thing that surprised me when the closing credits rolled was to see that Gabrielle Union and some other stars I hadn’t recognized were in the movie.

NP: I told all the women in the project that we were going to do this natural, with no makeup. That’s a scary thing, especially when so much of what we do is controlled by image. But people really bought into it, and we were able to achieve an authenticity that most projects are unable to match.

KW: What’s up next for Nate Parker?

NP: I have a couple projects I’m considering, but I’m being careful to make sure it’s something I’m passionate about.

KW: Was there a meaningful spiritual component to your childhood?

NP: Yes and no. Iwas exposed to Christianity early on, but I didn’t really understand the magnitude of God’s power and the role of prophecy in my life. It wasn’t until going through college that I began to appreciate this thing called faith and to explore whether there was something in it for me. So much of my life has changed since then, and my desperation for a connection to the Lord continues to deepen with every breath I take.

KW: Finally, what’s in your wallet?

NP: No money, just my insurance card and credit cards. I used to carry around some pictures of my kids, but I keep putting my wallet in the washing machine. [Laughs]

KW: Thanks again, Nate, and I hope to speak to you again during Oscar season.

The outdoor enthusiast finally has a rugged, waterproof option when it comes to high-quality stereo sound. With built-in Bluetooth audio streaming, AM/FM radio and USB audio playback, STEREOACTIVE is packed with features. Engineered in New Zealand, the new compact system is designed for the challenges of life on the water or exposure to the elements and tuned to deliver crystal clear audio that enhances any activity. Featuring the unique Puck mount system, users can easily and securely attach the stereo to any surface, such as an RV exterior, cooler, outdoor cooking space, paddleboard, kayak, canoe, boat or even hot tub. To keep valuables safe from the elements, FUSION has also offered the ACTIVESAFE which, when combined with STEREOACTIVE, will securely house any smartphone, vehicle keys, bank cards, or loose change.

Virtually every angler on the water these days is well aware that boat docks hold bass throughout the year. However, not all anglers approach dock fishing with the correct tackle and strategy to make the most of their time on the water. Fine-tuning your approach by reaching all fish-holding zones and identifying patterns can definitely lead to higher catch rates and bigger fish. Read More…
Learn More at Z Man Fishing

After the Strike World record-holders will quickly agree there is much more to skilled angling than simply finding and hooking a fish. The battle, especially with large, powerful game fish, Read More…
Visit Yamaha Outboards.com

Take the Trip of a Life Time
Take a short drive south of New Orleans, and you come to the southernmost point in Louisiana. It’s Venice and being at the end of the road is just the beginning of your trip for world-class yellowfin tuna fishing
Visit Home Run Charters

Live bait rigged to stay on or near the surface is enticing as well. Predators push bait to the top during an attack, so a nervous morsel suspended under a kite, balloon or cork is always easy pickings. Baits hooked through the nose, or dorsal fin will stay near the surface whereas those hooked in the stomach or lower tail tend to swim downward. Trolled baits and lures serve the same purpose. The combination of splashing and bubbles, often in conjunction with teasers, help draw the game fish into the surface strike zone Read More…